Ledyard — The past few years, Ledyard High School wrestling coach Steve Bilheimer has gotten used to going into the weight room while the Colonels were finishing up and needing to yell at them to return the weights to their racks before exiting.

"This team, I went to yell at them and the kids were putting stuff away," Bilheimer said Thursday, telling the story following his team's Eastern Connecticut Conference Division II matchup against Killingly. "Ty Miller said it perfect. He's one of the leaders and one of the ones I went to yell at.

"He said, 'Under new management.' That's a perfect example about this group."

"Our captains this year, we know what we've got to do," Miller said. "A big thing that helps is the camaraderie. It's a good atmosphere."

Ledyard's senior captains — Miller, Adam Crawford and Cole Dirico — all picked up wins in a 42-33 victory over Killingly, the defending ECC tournament champion.

The Colonels, 13-12 last year behind a what Bilheimer called a "perfect storm" of difficulties — including injuries and other absences — are 4-2 in dual meets so far, 1-0 in Division II of the ECC, and had 10 placewinners in finishing third at the early-season Guilford Invitational.

Ledyard got pins from Mason Barnett at 152 pounds, Andrew Allen at 182 and Connor Doran at 106. Killingly forfeited three weight classes.

Killingly led 12-0 after the two opening weight classes, getting pins from Dave Charron at 126 and Isaac Bean at 132. Dirico won by forfeit for Ledyard at 138 and Miller hung on for an 8-6 decision over Trevor Johnson at 145, pulling the Colonels within 12-9.

Barnett's pin put Ledyard ahead 15-12 and Brayden Grim won by forfeit at 160 for a 21-12 Colonels advantage. Crawford then prevailed in perhaps the most exciting match of the night at 170. He led Killingly's Greg Gosselin 3-2 after two periods before Gosselin tied it 4-4 on an escape with 32 seconds remaining. Crawford won 6-4 on a takedown with 6.5 seconds to go.

"I knew there was about 20 seconds left and I was thinking, 'Just take him down,'" said Crawford, who credited Ledyard assistant Allyn Quibble with some "pretty inventive" conditioning measures for giving him the strength at the end.

Crawford tore his meniscus a few matches into the wrestling season last year and was forced to sit out.

"It's been all right to pick back up," Crawford said. "But not super-easy."

"We had a bunch of guys at the same weight last year," Bilheimer said. "Some were trying to sacrifice to get down. Some we had to bump up two weight classes. Barnett was one of them; we had him two weight classes above weight."

Bilheimer said the Colonels have had a number of plesant surprises this season. Doran, who pinned his opponent in 45 seconds Thursday, is a freshman. Jacob Foster, a junior who dropped a 4-2 decision to Killingly's Cooper Morissette at 120, came out for the team as a first-year wrestler halfway through last season.

"Killingly, like us, wasn't 100 percent," Bilheimer said. "I guarantee you they will be a force come ECC time. No one's 100 percent yet."

The Colonels will host the Ledyard Holiday Duals beginning at 10 a.m. Friday and featuring Foran, Griswold, Nonnewaug, Haddam-Killingworth and Montville.

v.fulkerson@theday.com